Uzbekistan plans to start production of Covid-19 vaccine before year-end

AKIPRESS.COM - Uzbekistan plans to start production of vaccines against coronavirus infection before the end of the year, Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency Director Sardor Kariev said, Gazeta.uz reported.
The president's executive order of 25 November 2020 envisions creation of the platform for production of vaccines and a testing laboratory that would meet international standards.
"The task was given to create necessary infrastructure in Uzbekistan to launch production of vaccines, including coronavirus vaccine," Sardor Kariev said.
The Pharmaceutical Industry Development Agency together with Tashkent Medical Academy and other partners are workng on this, he siad.
A new production complex is being designed now. Local research institutes are working on domestic coronavirus vaccine.
"The production venture will be ready before the end of the year. The Ministry of Innovative Development and our researchers are working on a domestic vaccine," Sardor Kariev stated.
The Agency offered establishment of Russia's coronavirus vaccine in Tashkent Pharma Park earlier. The project was estimated at $53 milion. Sputnik-V was delivered to Uzbekistan in December 2020 for trials necessary for registration and launch of industrial production of the vaccine in the country.
Sardor Kariev said the sides are still discussing the details of the project.
"Production of vaccines is a complex process. We submitted our suggestion to the Russian side. Uzbekistan has several production facilities that can produce any kinds of vaccines in accordance with international standards. But this process is long-lasting," he said.
Production of vaccines requires transfer of technologies.
The Academy of Sciences of Uzbekistan said in early April researchers of the Genomics and Bioinformatics Center sequenced genomes of coronavirus and made bioinformatics analysis. Uzbekistan joined 50 countries that sequenced all variants of DNA of coronavirus circulating in the country. "The information on variants of coronavirus in Uzbekistan is very important for development of domestic vaccine against strains spread in the country," the Academy said.